Three suspected cases of the mystery respiratory illness that prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to issue a global health alarm have been reported in Japan, the Health Ministry announced Wednesday.

All three reported patients developed respiratory problems within 10 days of returning from Southeast Asia at the beginning of February and one is still receiving treatment.

However, ministry officials virtually dismissed the possibility that these cases were related to the recent outbreak of a virulent form of pneumonia, dubbed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

"The possibility that these patients are suffering from SARS is extremely low," a ministry spokesman said. He explained that unlike SARS cases reported elsewhere, two of the patients have already recovered and another is making good progress. Moreover, no family member of the three has been infected.

"We pressured the public to report any suspicious illnesses so we expected to receive many reports about cases not related to SARS," the spokesman said.

On March 12, the ministry ordered local governments to report any people who recently returned from Southeast Asia and were suffering from a high fever and respiratory problems.

Some 250 people abroad fell ill with the mysterious virus, 145 of them in Hong Kong.

Scientists in Hong Kong reportedly identified that the SARS-causing virus belongs to the paramyxoviridae family, which triggers measles. However, it is yet to be established whether the virus is a new strain or whether it is curable. (Mainichi Shimbun, March 19, 2003)

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